How to Dismantle an Atomic Jane
by Dave the Wordsmith
Summary: Daria wants Jane to reveal why she's upset. Her answer, followed by her actions, takes Daria by surprise.


**Title: How to Dismantle an Atomic Jane  
**

**Author:** SinisterDragula

**Rating:** Rated T

**Genre:** Hurt/Comfort/Romance

**Words: **2,551

**Disclaimer: **Daria is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International, Inc. All the copyrights associated with Daria belong to them. Only the ideas contained within this story are the property of the author. No profit is being earned by the writer of this story.

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"I still won't forgive you, Daria!"

"Jane!"

It was five a.m. when we stepped in our apartment. At last, no more frosty wind nipping at my neck. The heat in the room made my muscles relax, but something else kept my body cold as ice.

The front door slammed and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I'm glad I came inside first. I'm sure Jane wouldn't have hesitated to shut the door in my face.

It was hard to see Jane in the dark room. The low light that made its way through the window blinds didn't help much. However, the eerie glow from Jane's blue eyes let me know she was there. We both collapsed onto the dark red couch. Jane on the far right, me on the far left. She turned to face me, her arms crossed. Jane's small snort gave me a clue that I was in for some trouble.

The leather cushion beneath me squeaked as my body scooted over her direction. "Did last night get to you so much that-"

Jane frowned. "Just leave me alone, all right?", her eyes appeared to burst into red flames that could char my face on sight.

I stopped in my tracks. The word "alone" made chills run down my spine. But I can't let it go; at least for now. I've got to know what's going on in Jane's mind.

"Jane, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I have no choice but to play twenty questions with you," came out of my mouth, my arms crossed.

Jane remained silent as if I hadn't said a word. Her upset look made me sink a little in my seat. It wouldn't take Albert Einstein's ghost to tell you in a dream about the thick wall of tension put up between us.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall facing me. Each tick the second hand made increased my frustration. I refused to let it show on the outside, but Jane's silence truly wracked my nerves.

Jane let out a big sigh and shook her head. A few wrinkles in her brow disappeared, but I could sense she still felt upset. "It's what you did last night, Daria. That's all I'm gonna tell you."

At this point, Jane could be talking about anything, I thought. But, I know what made her upset. She's just taking it the wrong way, that's all.

I sat up straight. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were-"

Of all the times her eyebrow had to shoot up, it had to be now. "What, a pain in the ass? A d-bag? A bitch?"

"You're close. It rhymed with EMS-ing."

She brought her hand up and created a small gap between her index and thumb. "You know you're this close to me never speaking to you again, right?"

"Jane," Now it was my turn to frown. My cheeks became warm, most likely from excitement. I didn't let my tone give away my direct feelings, but Jane knows better. "It's that girl, isn't it?"

"Fine! You got me, okay? Yes Daria, I'm uptight because of that girl from the party last night! Let me give you a recap in case you didn't quite understand what happened! You and I had a few drinks, and you just had to get tipsy, act completely obnoxious, and hang out with that girl instead of me! Then, and thank you so very much for doing this, you left the party without telling me! I had no clue where you were, until the host told me you were at that girl's place! God, I still can't believe I found you lying in her tub with a pirate hat on, singing an off-key rendition of "War Pigs"! At least being naked in a bubble bath with a rubber ducky singing 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' would've gotten a bigger scare out of me! Congratu-fuckin'-lations Daria, on the first party I invite you to, without enjoying it with me!"

She threw her arms up and sighed angrily. The bitterness from her words made my tongue squirm. "We could've at least gotten wasted together, but instead you go and do it with her," my head snapped toward her from the decrease in volume and sadness in her voice. Either the effects of my hangover suddenly had the ability to make me see things, or I saw her eyes well up with tears.

I mean, Jane usually wouldn't care where I was, as long as we agreed to meet back at our apartment, enjoy a Sick Sad World marathon or two, maybe even cajole ourselves into another pizza, and waste the night away. But this Jane, as of last night, has to be an alien posing while the real Jane was abducted and taken to be used in an experimental group of a scientific study.

"Look, I'm sorry okay?" I swung my legs onto the couch so I could lie down against the arm rest behind me, with my arms folded across my chest. The tip of my Doc Martens brushed against her left thigh, which brought a shiver out of me because it was unintentional. I increased the pressure I had on her leg just a little bit, just for fun. "Besides, what difference does it make if it's not just the two of us, compared to only the two of us? What would we miss that would make an evening alone, drunk together, so not the cat's meow?"

"The amusing, yet embarrassing pointing and laughter we'd receive when we sing Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' karaoke style?" she said, before wetting her palette with a cup of coffee she had on the table beside her. After she set it down, Jane wiped under her eyes. I guess I was right, those really were tears.

"Right; and I bet you think this confession I'm about to make is about you," I paused for a brief moment to let out a small sigh. "Jane, don't take this personal, but I couldn't help it. When I told you I met somewhat of a new friend at Raft, I was serious. She's precocious, has a diminutive personality; she loves the world as much as we do. I just couldn't get away from that beauty queen with brains last night."

Small chuckles sounded from Jane Lane's mouth for a few seconds. I could tell my words had at least a little effect and got through her tough psyche. Her fingers tapped playfully on the toe of my right boot. "You know how jealous I can get, Daria," she sniffed. I tried my best not to blush from the small smile she gave me. I brought my feet back down on the floor. I was afraid I'd fall asleep right then and there if I got too comfortable.

My head shook as the result of her words. "Now, now, Lane. You know me. I'm not that selfish. Well, at least towards you," I looked deep into her eyes and put a small smile on my face. My body somehow mustered the courage to creep closer to where she sat. Her body heat felt somewhat relaxing, but any closer and I know I'd be uncomfortable.

"That isn't completely true. Remember yesterday when you inhaled that pizza pie like a black hole, big enough to absorb all the interstellar dust of the universe?" My eyes diverted to her hands. Jane's fingers brushed lightly over my hand by my side. She slowly pulled them away and put her hands in her lap. I think it was my nervous look that did it.

"If you had to work on a 15-page essay for two days straight and only had four hours of sleep, you'd be a human Oreck vacuum cleaner later on that day, too."

"In that case, I'll let it go. So much for that party, huh?"

"On the somewhat unbelievable bright side, the party was actually decent. The drinks didn't look and taste like stale oil, and the people didn't grunt and moan and stagger around like cheap, B-movie zombies."

"I vehemently agree, although the zombies wouldn't be too bad after a while."

"Yeah, and I can't remember most of it, since I unfortunately passed out in a semi-perfect stranger's bathtub. Not too bad for my first time getting drunk at a party," I smiled, only for it to go away from the pain my headache gave me. My body had to be on a five second lag. I swear I told it to get up from my seat five seconds go and it took that long for it to do it. No more cheap alcohol for me. "I'm gonna go to sleep now. This headache's kicking my ass."

"It's understandable. Go and get some rest, kid. I'll be working on my masterpiece, after a coffee break or two," As I passed by Jane, I caught her smile. The one that made me blush last time. The same one I had to swivel my head from in fear she would catch my vulnerable state and exploit it for her own benefit.

"Um okay, now that we're done spilling our guts out, forgive me now?" I almost stepped foot into my room, a little ways down the hall on the right side across from Jane's.

"Eh, I'll think about it," I heard her say before I entered and shut the door.

My room was pretty much a replica of my old one, padded walls and all. I took off all my clothes and slipped on my Mark Twain shirt, which was enough to wear. The heat that came through my window was enough to keep me warm for the few hours I would spend in bed. The covers felt so warm over my shoulders and my neck. My eyelids couldn't resist staying open any longer. The softness of my pillow would give me my one way ticket to dream land so I could sleep this damn hangover off.

For a few, long moments, I felt peace.

The soft, gentle caress of fingers up and down my back gave me goose bumps and woke me out of my slumber. I shuddered and twirled onto my other side, to see an enervated Jane. She looked like she was about to fall asleep. For some reason, the thought of throwing up last night's dinner didn't occur when Jane wrapped her arms around me, and nuzzled her forehead against my upper chest. I guess she wasn't mad anymore.

She smiled, but I couldn't hide my look of shock much longer. "Jane, what are you-"

"I'm keeping a promise," Jane stroked my cheek. My arms and legs trembled, not in fear or anxiety, but in surprise of her display of affection. Her warm, bare legs wrapped around mine as she slid under the covers. "I'm taking care of a masterpiece: you."

"Jane, I…I…" I couldn't believe what was going on. Different feelings flew in and out of my mind, I didn't know what to feel or think. But it felt so nice. She felt so nice. So warm. The two of us under the covers seemed to relieve me of my anxiety.

"And yes, I forgive you, Daria. At least for now, anyway," Jane rolled over, her back toward me. I let my back descend so I could stare face up at the white ceiling, the only part of the room I didn't feel like putting padding on, as if anyone would notice anyway.

"Good," I can't believe I'm doing this, but, maybe this is what I'm supposed to do. "Uhm, Jane?"

"Yo?"

"I have something else to admit. I did that stuff last night, not to make you feel jealous."

"Eh?" By now, I knew I was the center of Jane's thoughts. She turned toward me, straightening her black tank top straps. "Go ahead. Out with it, Morgendorffer."

I had the feeling I was about to blush, so I dropped my head a little. "I did it to get your attention."

Jane feigned a surprised gasp, her hand over her mouth. "Am I hearing you correctly? You, Daria Morgendorffer, vying for my attention?"

"Yeah, your attention. I didn't know any other way I could get you to talk to me, since we were so busy and everything," Jane became blurrier and blurrier with each word I took. Damn, the tears arrived.

"Daria, you're serious, aren't you?"

My response was a slow nod. Before my very eyes, Jane's façade of shock turned into the real thing. She reached out, putting me in a warm embrace. I hoped she didn't mind a tear that fell on her shoulder. At that moment, my legs and arms felt like Dad's experimental chocolate chip mint Jell-O we had before I left for Raft.

Jane pecked me lightly on the lips. Without any second thoughts, I returned the favor but full-on and much deeper. Jane moaned in response, and decided to give one last kiss. She stopped and lay next to me face down, her head buried in my left shoulder.

"Sorry, about last night," I finally spit out. With one arm free, I let it rest on Jane's back. It was only a matter of time before sleep would take a hold of me.

"It's okay. Let's just go to sleep and enjoy our last day off, amiga."

As soon as she said that, my eyes closed. I put my round-trip ticket to dream land to use, and Jane along for the ride made it feel so good.

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**The End.**


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